Air Transport

Indian GA MRO firm expands into commercial aviation sphere

Indian maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) firm Air Works is expanding beyond general aviation into the commercial aviation sphere and has entered into a joint venture with Air Livery, a UK firm that does aircraft repainting, refinishing and refurbishment.

Air Works, which is based in the southern Indian city of Hosur, says in a statement that it has appointed Fredrik Groth as CEO and that by September this year it will have started working as a commercial MRO rather than limiting itself to work on general aviation aircraft.

Groth was previously director general for privately-owned Spanish airline Swiftair, it says.

The company has one hangar and “will complete two additional hangars by year-end” and these are designed to accommodate widebodies, it says, adding that the Hosur airport has an 8,000ft-long runway capable of handling widebodies.

Another two hangars will be built by the end of next year and in future the company plans to spend $50 million on three initiatives – setting up the paint shop, interior completion centre and engine MRO centre.

The paint shop at Hosur is a joint venture with UK firm Air Livery, it says, adding that this joint venture will be “India’s first dedicated paint facility for commercial, VIP, executive and military” aircraft.

Hosur is a town in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. Air Works also has offices in Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai and claims to be the largest independent general aviation MRO in India.

It started in 1951 and was a family owned business but recently construction firm Punj Lloyd and US private equity firm Global Technology Investment bought into the business. India recently eased its restrictions on foreign ownership of Indian MROs.

Air Livery, meanwhile, is based in Norwich. In the UK it has eight aircraft paint centres, Air Works says in its statement.

Source: Air Transport Intelligence news